Tool for forming tabs on cylindrical shell by cutting and bending



Apnl 15, 1958 M. WALLBERG 2,

TOOL FOR FORMING was on CYLINDRICAL sum. BY CUTTING AND BENDING FiledJan. 25. 1956 38 E a $2 a" 6/ 3 2 06.3 T 46*. 2 53536 fig 2D I I g a Dr26 I 19/ i z $25 L.. 1 I 27 IA/VEA/TOR 2/ 5T (a Jaw/mama 4 3 ATTORNEYUnited States Patent TOOL FOR FORMING TABS ON CYLINDRICAL SHELL BYCUTTING AND BENDlNG Marshall Wallberg, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor toWestern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application January 25, 1956, Serial No. 561,183

Claims. (Cl. 153-1) This invention relates to forming devices and moreparticularly to devices for forming the ends of hollow members to retainarticles therein.

An object of this invention is to provide a device for forming the endsof tubes to retain articles therein.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device for forming tabson the end of a hollow member for retaining a protector block assemblytherein.

One embodiment of the present invention for forming tabs on the end of acylindrical shell may include a longitudinally slotted cylindrical rodwhich is extended into the end of the shell and has a longitudinallyslotted hold-down member slidably mounted on the rod for engaging theshell to hold it on a base. A cutter, which is slidably mounted in slotsin the rod and the hold-down member, has inclined cutting surfaces whichengage portions of the shell to force these portions into the slot inthe rod to thus form tabs which retain a protector block assembly insidethe shell.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent byreference to the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front View of the device showing it in normal unactuatedposition;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the mannerin which the cutter is mounted in the slots in the rod and the hold-downmember;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig.2 showing the cutter mounted in the rod and the hold-down member holdinga shell on the base;

Pig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2showing the contour of the cutter; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the protector block shell showing the tabsformed by the cutter.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a base 11 is shown supporting amounting bracket 12 (Fig. l) which supports an air cylinder 13 of awell-known type having a piston 16. A nest 17 in the base 11 beneath theair cylinder 13 receives a cylindrical protector block shell 18 of awell-kown type having an open upper end and containing a porcelain andcarbon protector block assembly 21.

A centrally apertured hold-down member 22 slidably mounted in a bore 23in a block 26 secured to the bracket 12 has a recess 27 on its lowerportion for receiving the upper end of the shell 18 to retain it in thenest 17 on the 'base 11. The hold-down member 22 has a slot 25 and anaxial bore 28 in which an enlarged lower end 31 of a hollow shaft 32 isslidably mounted. A washer 33 secured to the hold-down member 22 abovethe enlarged lower end 31 of the shaft 32 retains it in the holdmember22. A compression spring 36 mounted on the shaft 32 between the washer33 and a ring 37 (Figs. 1 and 3) secured to the shaft urges the holddownmember 22 downward whereby, in normal position, the washer 33 engagesthe enlarged end 31 of the shaft 32. The

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upper end of the shaft 32 is threaded into a nut 38 (Figs. 1 and 3)which is threaded onto a driving rod 31 (Fig. 1) connected to the piston16 whereby the shaft 32 is moved when the piston 16 is actuated.

A rod 42 equal in diameter to the internal diameter of the shell 18 andhaving a longitudinal slot 43 (Fig. 3) is slidably mounted in a centralbore 46 in the shaft 32. A spring 47 (Figs. 1 and 3) retained in thecentral bore 46 by a plug 48 urges the rod 42 downward in the hollowshaft 32. Movement of the rod 42 in the hollow shaft 32 is limited by astop pin 51 (Figs. 1 and 3) which is secured to the rod 42 and whichprojects through vertically elongated apertures 52 (Fig. 3) in the shaft32. The lower end of the rod 42 is recessed whereby it will not engage acentral raised portion of the protector block assembly 21 when the rod42 is inserted into the upper end of the shell 18.

A cutter 53 mounted in the slots 25 and 43 in the holddown member 22 andthe rod 42, respectively, is tightly secured in a slot 56 (Fig. 4) inthe shaft 32 by a pair of pins 57 which pass through the shaft 32 andthe cutter 53. The lower portion of the cutter 53 has a pair of inclinedsurfaces 58 (Fig. 4) which, when the cutter 53 is lowered, engage theshell 18 and force portions or tabs 61 (Fig. 5) of it into the slot 43in the rod 42, these portions or tabs 61 retaining the protector blockassembly 21 in the shell 18.

in operation, the protector block shell 18 containing the protectorblock assembly 21 is positioned in the nest 17 in the base 11 andcompressed air (from a source not shown) is admitted to the air cylinder13 to actuate the piston 16 downward. The shaft 32, the hold-down member22 and the rod 42 are carried downward by the piston 16. The hold-downmember 22 moves downward until it is stopped by engagement with theshell 18, the upper end of the shell 18 entering the recess 27 in theholddown member 22. Further movement of the shaft 32 compresses thespring 36 to hold the shell 18 in place.

At the same time that the hold-down member 22 engages the shell 18, thelower end of the rod 42 enters the shell 18 and is stopped by engagementwith the protector block assembly 21. As the shaft 32 continues to movedownward to carry the cutter 53 toward engagement with the shell 18 thespring 47 is compressed and the pin 51 secured to the rod 42 movesrelatively upward in the apertures 52 (Fig. 3)-in the shaft 32. Uponfurther downward movement of the shaft 32 the surfaces 58 of the cutter53 engage two portions of the shell 18 and force them into the slot 43in the rod 42, these portions or tabs 61 (Fig. 5) serving to retain theprotector block assembly 21 in the shell 18.

The piston 16 is then actuated to raise the shaft 32 and the cutter 53.The rod 42 begins to move upward when the pin 51 engages the bottoms ofthe apertures 52 in the shaft 32, and the hold-down member 22 begins tomove upward when the washer 33 is engaged by the enlarged end 31 of theshaft 32.

The shell 18 with its formed tabs 61 now holding the protector blockassembly inside is removed from the base 11 and another protector blockshell 18 is then positioned in the nest 17 and the above procedure isrepeated.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simplyillustrative of the application of the principles of this invention.Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled inthe art to embody the principles of the invention and fall within thespirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for fabricating hollow articles, comprising a base forholding the article, support means on the base, a tubular member movablymounted on the support means, a slotted member slidably supported onsaid tubular member for engaging the hollow article to hold it on thebase, a slotted element slidably mounted in said tubular member forentering the end of the hollow article, a cutter secured to the tubularmember and slidably mounted in the slots in the slotted member and theslotted element for engaging the article to force portions of it intothe slot in the element, and means for actuating the tubular member.

2. A device for fabricating hollow articles, comprising a base forsupporting an article, support means on the base, a member movablymounted on the support means, an apertured member mounted on said memberand movable into engagement with the article to hold it on the base,resilient means on the movable member for urging the apertured' membertoward the article, said apertured member alsohaving a longitudinalslot, a slotted rod slidably mounted-on the movable member and in theaperture in. the apertured member for entering the article, resilientmeans on the movable member for urgingthe rod toward the article, acutter carried by saidmovable member and slidably mounted in the slotsin the apertured member and the rod for engaging the article to forceportions of it into the slot in the rod, and means for actuating themovable member to operate the cutter, said apertured member and rod alsobeing; operated by the cutter actuating means.

3. A device for forming tabs in the end of a cylindrical shell,comprising a base for supporting a shell, a bracket mounted on the base,a vertical shaft supported by the bracket and having a central bore,means mounted on the bracket for reciprocating the shaft, a slottedmember slidably mounted on the shaft for engaging the shell to hold iton the base, resilient means mounted on the shaft for urging saidslotted member toward the shell, a slotted rod slidably mounted in thebore in the shaft for entering the end of the shell, resilient meansmounted in said bore for urging the rod into said shell, and a cuttercarried by the shaft and slidable in the slots in the rod and the memberfor cooperating with the rod to force portions of the shell into theslot in the rod to form tab portions extending into the shell.

4. A device for forming tabs on the end of a cylindrical shell,comprising a base having a nest for receiving one end of a shell, abracket mounted on the base, a vertical shaft supported by the bracketand having a central bore, means mounted on the bracket for verticallyreciprocating the shaft, an apertured and slotted member slidablymounted on the shaft for engaging the shell to retain it in the nest inthe base when the shaft is lowered, resilient 1621113 mounted on theshaft for urging the member downward relative to the shaft, saidresilient means being compressed as the shaft continues to move downwardthrough the member after it engages the shell, a slotted rod slidablymounted in the central bore in the shaft, :1 spring mounted in saidcentral bore above the rod for urging the rod downward relative to theshaft, said spring being compressed as the shaft continues to movedownward after the rod enters the shell, and a cutter secured to theshaft and slidably'mounted in the slots in the rod and member forengaging the shell to force portions of it into the slot in the rod toform tabs extending into the shell. 5. A device for fabricating tabs onan open end of a cylindrical shell, comprising a base for engaging andsupporting the shell, a bracket secured to the base, a shaft mounted onthe bracket for movement along the axis of the shell and having acentral bore, a rod mounted in said central bore for entering the openend of the shell, said rod having a transverse longitudinal slot,resilient means interconnecting the shaft and the rod for urging saidrod toward the shell, a member slidably mounted on the shaft forengaging and holding the shell on the base, resilient meansinterconnecting the shaft and said member for urging said member towardthe shell, said member having a transverse slot aligned with the slot inthe rod, a cutter securedto the shaft and slidably mounted in the slotsinsaid rod and said member for engaging the shell to force portionsthereof into the slot in the rod to form tabs,,and means on the bracketfor moving the shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS822,755 McManus June 5, 1906 1,134,507 Blevney Apr. 6, 1915 1,766,661Lorig June 24, 1930 1,836,497 Phelps et al. Dec. 15, 1931 2,070,032Swanstrom Feb. 9, 1937 2,473,836 WiXon et al June 21, 1949

